Einstein

Gr 9 Up—In this import, French psychoanalyst Maier and illustrator Simon, who collaborated on Freud and Marx, present a graphic biography of Albert Einstein. A caricature version of Einstein, a rumpled and mustachioed older man, with a nimbus of hair, narrates and comments on the story of his life. The cartoon style and conventions are well suited to expressing what Einstein calls the "universe of my thoughts." Simon frequently breaks out of the frame, as in one full-page image of a young Einstein wandering through the folds of his own brain to uncover the principles that led to the theory of special relativity. This tendency is particularly effective in the stand-alone sections that explain Einstein's theories themselves. The book succeeds as a creative exploration of Einstein's genius and the factors and forces that may have influenced him. However, without source notes or a bibliography, it is impossible for readers to determine whether the events, statements, or sentiments presented actually happened or can be attributed to Einstein at all.